Chattanoogans buy into 'Gray Thursday'

Area shoppers carved their turkeys, wolfed down some pie and immediately got in line, wallets in hand.

Sales associates, however, had been there for hours before.

Yesterday, the notoriously frantic store openings of Black Friday
started earlier than any year before -- establishing the new nickname of
"Gray Thursday" -- around Chattanooga, but shoppers were still willing
to brave packed crowds to make a deal on Thanksgiving.